Division E – Judge Koch

Judge Patricia Koch – Division “E”

Judge Patricia Koch received her B.A. in History from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1985 and her Juris Doctorate from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans in 1991. She was elected to represent Division “E” of the Ninth Judicial District Court in October of 2005, and is currently serving as the Chief Judge and a Civil Court Judge for Rapides Parish in addition to presiding over a mental health court. Her previous experience includes serving as a Criminal Court Judge for the Ninth Judicial District Court which included a specialized domestic violence court and as the Juvenile Court Judge which included a juvenile drug court.

Prior to her election to the District Court bench, she served as the Hearing Officer for the Ninth Judicial District Court, presiding over child support and domestic violence cases. Judge Koch also served as Administrative Law Judge and mediator for the Office of Workers’ Compensation. Judge Koch was the lead over the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur’s Models for Change initiative for Rapides Parish for juvenile justice reform and was named the 2009 Champion for Change in juvenile justice reform for the Louisiana Models for Change initiative.

Judge Koch currently serves as President of the Louisiana Judicial College; appointed in 2013 to the Louisiana Children’s Cabinet; serves on the Courthouse Security committee for the Louisiana Supreme Court; in an advisory capacity to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges membership committee and formerly of the juvenile delinquency committee; former advisory member to the Vera Institute of Justice status offender project; past member of the Judicial Leadership Group to Reform the Care of Non-Delinquent Youth for the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ); since 2003 on the Louisiana Protective Order Task Force as well as the education committee for Domestic Violence; legislative committee for the Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (LCJFCJ); member of the State and Alexandria Bar Associations; trains on mental health and domestic violence issues for the Alexandria Police Academy; formerly served on the Access to Justice Committee for the Louisiana State Bar Association, Past President of the LCJFCJ, and Past President of the Rapides Parish Area Youth Planning Board. In her community she is a member of the Horseshoe Drive United Methodist; Professional Women’s Network and is in a leadership capacity to increase educational opportunities through the Parent & Teacher Organizations at her sons’ high school.

She is a sister to 12 other siblings, wife and mother of 3 sons and great-aunt to 3 young nieces and involved in all of their public schools.